The Lydbrook Colliery comprised of three gales;- Lydbrook Deep Level, Birchen Grove and Pludsí.  Lydbrook Deep Level was first galed in July 1816 to Aaron Hale who assigned it to Edmund John Scott for 1000 years.  The gale was, however, surrendered to the Crown and was re-granted in August 1852 to Edwin Lewis.  Birchen Grove was granted in February 1842 to William Court of Ruardean and Pludsí in August 1843 to John Court of Ruardean and George Knight of Ruardean Woodside.
The period in the history of the gales up to 1869 is extremely complicated. At one point even the Crownsí solicitors could not work out who the registered owner, or owners, of the gales were! This confusion was due to a great tangle of mortgages, leases and sub-leases with many people, some living abroad, involved.
It would appear, however, that a Theophilus Creswick originally leased Lydbrook Deep Level and drove the existing Scotts Level, which was situated behind the schools, a further 550 yards but only found old workings. He then transferred his attentions to the Lydbrook Deep Level itself. This had already been driven 200 yards and Creswick pushed it on a further 240 yards until he hit coal after which he cotinued driving the main heading for 80 yards, remaining in the coal. This work had commenced in 1862 and occupied Creswick until 1866 when financial reasons forced him to stop work.
Creswick also had interests in both Birchen Grove and the Pludsí gales. His name appears on the gale rental for Birchen Grove, together with William Court, the galee, J.W. Sanders, T.T. Sanders and B. Robins. The Sanders, who came from Bromsgrove, appear to have been solicitors acting for individuals who had put money up for a mortgage to Creswick. In August 1864 they stated that they represented the first mortgage on the works their clients having put up a large sum of money and that it was hoped that the works could soon be made productive.
Towards the end of 1866 Creswick made arrangements to purchase the three gales and then, with his mortgagees, agreed to lease them out.  A new company was formed for the purpose, the Lydbrook Deep Level Collieries Co. Ltd. which was incorporated in August 1866 with a capital of £25,000 in 2,500 £10 shares. An agreement was signed with William Goulding and George Botty, a director of the new company, both of whom came from Reading. The company was wound up in January 1870 and Goulding and Botty surrendered the lease in 1871 the company having driven a further 700 yards in Scotts Level and 450 yards in Lydbrook Deep Level.
This surrender of the lease meant that Creswick had to find others to help him work the concern. In this he must have been successful as in May 1874 he applied to the Severn & Wye for siding accommodation at the colliery he was reported to be opening. It was agreed that the siding could be built with the Severn & Wye providing the necesssary point off their new line opposite the School Room. This single siding is named on the 1877 S&W plan as ëQuarry Sidingí and may have taken its name from the nearby Scotts Quarry it being unlikely that stone was ever loaded here.
In 1880 it was reported that Richard Thomas was working Lydbrook Deep Level. Whether he was leasing it from Creswick or not is unknown but in August 1881 Thomas was said to be about to purchase the three gales. This transaction appears to have not been completed, possibly it was interupted by Thomasís attempts to set up a limited company and then by his bankruptcy in 1883.
The next development seems to have been the formation of the Lydbrook Colliery Co. in which Creswick again had an interest. Incorporated in July 1883 the company had a capital of £15,000 split into 500 ëAí shares of £10 each and 1,000 ëBí shares of £10 each.  Richard Thomas held one share together with his son Richard Beaumont Thomas and Joseph Hale, later managing director of the Lydney & Crump Meadow Collieries Co.  In January 1884 they took over the siding agreement and in December saught permission to erect a bridge over the railway in order to carry colliery tubs from the Deep Level to the loading point on the siding. Capital was obviously being sunk into the colliery again in an attempt to make it a profitable concern. certainly it seems that increased output was expected as in July 1885 the company wished the Severn & Wye to loan them some rails to extend the siding and it is likely that it was at this time that the second siding was added.
In 1885 matters for the company came to a head. The Crown increased the dead rent on the area from £18 to £110 per annum plus increasing the royalty payments from 2d. to 3d. per ton. Creswick objected to the increases and as no agreement could be reached the matter went to independent arbitration. The arbitrators found in favour of the Crown, Creswick appealed, but the decision was upheld. It was pointed out in Creswicks defence that he and his partners had spent a large sum of money in trying to raise coal and that the colliery had ruined them. In August 1885 the company wrote to the Crown to show that even if they were to put the concern up for sale that they would not get their money back.
In 1888 Creswick was once again attempting to lease the concern and it would seem that in this he was succesful. It is noted in November 1890 that Birchen Grove was being leased by the Forest Steam Coal Co.. It was in that month that the lessess had a loaded wagon run away from the sidings at Upper Lydbrook. It was reported in Severn & Wye minutes that, although some of their permenant-way staff were cleaning and oiling the points to the siding, the runaway wagon was not noticed soon enough to turn it off the road. The wagon ran 2 miles to Lydbrook Junction where, fortunately, it only damaged a truck and the stop block.
At about this time part of each of the three gales was being worked by the Birchen Grove Colliery Co. Ltd. which was formed to acquire the interests of one John Marland.  Incorporated in November 1888 with a capital of £15,000 in £1 shares only seven shares were ever issued, one to each of the directors all of whom came from Manchester.  The company ceased to carry on business in January 1891 when the Secretary, John Renton, gave notice to creditors  as the colliery, with all plant and assets, had been seized and sold under an execution by the Lydbrook Colliery Co. Ltd. who disputed the rights of the leasor, presumably Creswick, from whom the Birchen Grove Colliery Co. held the works, to assign or sublet the colliery.  In March 1891 the plant was up for sale to pay taxes and included were 80 pit carts.  The company was dissolved in May 1896 with the directors having expended £3,000 - 4,000 before their title was challenged.
In April 1891 Lydbrook Deep Level, Birchen Grove and Pludsí were put up for auction by the Lydbrook Colliery Co.. It was recorded in the auction notice that the gales extended for 301 acres and that they were above the water level. The coal being worked was the Coleford High Delf and the seam was between 3   and 4   feet thick. The sale was to include the siding which was said to belong to the company, the S & W however, disagreed on this point and sent notice to their solicitor and to the auctioneer. The sidings in fact belonged to the Severn & Wye and were laid on their land!  The colliery was connected to the sidings by a timber trestle bridge and this was being dismantled in September 1892 when unfortunately a workman was killed by the baulk of timber he had sawn through falling on top of his head.  The 8" x 15' timber involved was a bridge support from the bridge over which the coal carts had passed.
The purchasers of the concern at the auction was Richard Thomas & Co. Ltd., who aquired it for £1,500, and immediately began to improve the concern by sinking the Pludsí pit. In connection with this new sidings were laid near Waterloo Mill and in 1892/3 the sidings at Upper Lydbrook were removed, some rail possibly being used at Waterloo Sidings.
Even with the sinking of the new shaft it seems that working conditions were still difficult and that it was hard to make the concern to pay. In 1896 the Crown reduced the dead rents by a third and in 1897 Thomas was applying for a reduction in the royalty payments.
In August 1911 the Crown received an application from a John Morris for land to be used for a wharf and weighbridge opposite the Jovial Colliers public house at Upper Lydbrook. This was to be served by a stretch of colliery tramway from the Lydbrook Deep Level. At this time it was recorded that Morris was working for Richard Thomas but in February 1912 it was stated that Thomas had sub-let the Lydbrook Colliery to Morris.
As with Pludsí the concern was transferred to the British Red Ash Collieries Co. Ltd. in October 1912 and in the following October it was reported that work on re-opening Lydbrook Deep Level was in hand. In January 1913 British Red Ash wished to build a tramway from the Lydbrook Deep Level to a point on the railway below the Vicarage Bridge. This in fact would have met the railway at about the 18   mile point on the loop from the Waterloo Sidings but it is unlikely that anything was ever built.
In March 1915 a Mr. A.W. Latham was thinking of purchasing the Lydbrook Deep gale and there was a deed of assignment dated the 17th September 1915 between British Red Ash and Emma Latham, Arthur James Latham and Marguerite Annie Latham, all of Wynols Hill near Coleford, who were the representatives of the estate of A.W. Latham, a vicar, who had died in May. The Lathams in turn assigned their interests to the Forest Syndicate in 1920 who, it is likely, surrendered the gales to the Crown in 1922/3.